by RRivas

This being my fourth or fifth U2 show I was certainly accustomed to the spectacle that U2 brings to their performance and in terms of 'bigness' they did not disappoint. The show was spectacular, their peformance was great though at times either the stadium sound or their monitors seemed to throw the band. At one point Bono even said "we've got old songs, new songs, and songs we can't play". But despite the rough start here or there they would ultimately come together and deliver a great performance.

Bono's vocals clearly are still strong, and the time between shows seems to help, but at times he would hit the wrong note (beginning of MLK) or opt for an unfamilar low note. Amazing to me is how consistent the Edge is with his high vocals and his guitar.

I enjoyed the mix of songs from new to old to new to old and back again. The new album selection did not disappoint, though "Breathe" seemed not to be the best starter -- "Boots" would've been better. Though it was cool to have Larry start it all -- as he did the band. "Magnificent" from the new album, my favorite, suffered from some initial sound issues but came through. But they truly shined on the classics, Mysterious, One, Streets, With or Without, and the closer "Moments of Surrender" was right on -- though I wished it had gone longer and been more improvised and involved the crowd more. Maybe I'm just wishing for "40".

I did hear from friends that the sound higher up was muddled at best -- a disappointment for them. We were lower and had good sound but not the best -- Bono's vocals were consistently too loud and the guitars and bass consistently lower in the mix.

We also had VIP tickets which honestly I can't recommend. The food was great and free drinks are great, parking good -- but the gift was marginal and the chance at backstage was a 1 in 1000 chance. Disappointing we didn't have better odds than that. The seats were good but certainly we could have gotten without the VIP expense.

All in all though a fun night, a great U2 experience despite some of the sound challenges. They did not disappoint, the venue had it's hiccups, but the band squelched any thought of disappointment. They may still not haven't found what they're looking for, but they definitely still have it.

Return to previous page | Post a Review of this show!